Heavy Rain Video Game Shines: A PS3 Review

Heavy Rain, an ambitious video game is exclusively for the PS3. It's not played in the typical, shoot'em up style. Heavy Rain is more like a movie player's control. Every action and choice has an effect on the game. It is available now and is rated M for blood, intense violence, nudity, sexual content, strong language and use of drugs.

Heavy Rain's Story
The story focuses on four playable characters. There's Ethan the once happy husband and father, whose life takes a tragic turn. He fears his son might be the next victim of the Origami Killer. Madison is an insomniac and photojournalist. She's conducting her own investigation into the killings. FBI profiler, Norman, is a drug addict who uses Added Reality Interface (ARI) equipment to analyze crime scenes. Scott is a retired cop and Private Investigator hired by the families of the victims. Each of the characters have their own problems and demons. When Scott has an asthma attack, you must give him his inhaler. When Madison can't sleep, you see her scattered thoughts. Norman must take his drugs to function. Ethan is battling depression. You can let him ignore his family or interact with them. This ability to chose your own adventure type of storyline is intriguing. It forces you to be alert and really think about what you do in the game.

Heavy Rain's Game Play
The controls can take time to get used to. Walking is done by pressing the R2 trigger. You can look around with the left thumbstick. The L1 trigger controls the camera angle. Other buttons are pressed when prompted. To decide which question to ask another character, you must hit the corresponding button. Movements like using the inhaler are controlled by the right thumbstick. There were times I reverted back to a normal control structure and wondered why the character wasn't responding. Once you get used to the controls, it flows well and feels natural. All fighting and action sequences are done with button prompts. These quick time events can decide if the character you're playing lives or dies. You can also lose clues and evidence if not careful. But, there really is no wrong or right way to play. Going back to redo a scene can change something else and confuse the player.

Heavy Rain's Graphics
The graphics are absolutely amazing. From the detailed character design to the rain that pours down, the quality of the graphics shine. There are some glitches, though. Sometimes the character's mouth doesn't sync with the dialogue. There are also times when the frame rate runs a bit slow. Some players have been reporting major difficulties like the game freezing or save points being erased. A patch was released for the problems.

Heavy Rain's Replay Value
There are multiple endings for Heavy Rain. The choices made through out the game can drastically change events. When one character dies, their story is over. The amount of variables makes the replay value very high. What would have happened if you checked that crime scene better or if you asked one question instead of another? Players can explore everything the video game has to offer on replays.

Heavy Rain is definitely a different gaming experience. For players who are willing to sit down and take their time, it's a very rewarding video game. The pacing is a bit slow in the beginning, but soon you will become engrossed with the story. I would love to see games like Heavy Rain in the future. It is a mature title offering much more then the usual thrills.

Sources:
Personal Experience

www.heavyrainps3.com